28 March 2009

Bento Go Go

Japanese establishments can sometimes be unfriendly to vegetarians. From sushi bars to steakhouses, Japanese food is not always tailor-made for those who don't eat animal flesh. Bento Go Go, however, breaks away from this limitation by featuring numerous plant-based dishes from the Land of the Rising Sun and other East Asian nations.

The menu has copious choices for vegetarians. Starters include edamame, veggie egg rolls, veggie tempura, salads and miso soup. There are numerous vegetarian noodle and rice dishes. There is also a vegetarian wrap.

The curried vegetable bowl was made with a vegan curry. Sticky white rice is topped with the mild brown curry sauce and broccoli, potatoes, onions, carrots and water chestnuts. The vegetables were flavorful. I might have liked the curry to have a little more spiciness, but overall, the dish was very satisfying.

The star at Bento Go Go is the sushi. The veggie rolls were made with lettuce, cucumber, avocado, burdock, kampyo squash and pickled radish. The rolls were large and well constructed. The flavor was rich with an intensely vegetal undertone.

There is a vegetarian sushi special available as a bento box combination. Bento boxes are essentially Japanese lunch boxes. The box comes with a choice of sides including kimchi and Korean potatoes.

At night, Bento Go Go transforms into a sake lounge. They serve a number of sakes and flavored saketinis. The restaurant is open until 10 pm, and the lounge is open until 2:30 am.

There are a number of choices for vegetarians at Bento Go Go. The counter business is fast casual. Prices are moderate.